INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION THROUGH SPORT: TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN?

Sport has been perceived as a potential rich context to include people at-risk of social exclusion. Despite its acclaimed inclusionary character,sport remains a site of multiple and diverse exclusionary processes (Spaaij et al., 2014). To better understand wider inclusionaryoutcomes through sport, Ekholm (2013) argued that we should problematize and critically expose the underlying assumptions, distinctions,ideologies and research positions that constitute the conceptions surrounding sport as a means for social inclusion. Furthermore,the question needs to be addressed if combatting social exclusion can effectively be tackled by promoting social inclusion? In otherwords: are promoting social inclusion and combatting social exclusion two sides of the same coin? Such questions are currently in themargins of sport research. As a result, it remains difficult to determine the effectiveness and impact of sport-based interventions on abroad array of societal issues (e.g. social cohesion, education, employment)